Children are taught to read by breaking down words into separate sounds or ‘phonemes’. They are then taught how to blend these sounds together to read the whole word. Children have a 20mins phonics lesson each day and they are encouraged to use these strategies to read and write in other lessons. There are 44 different sounds.

The aim of the check is to ensure that all children are able to read by the end of year two. This ‘midpoint check’ will ensure that we have a clear understanding of what the children need to learn in year 2.

The check is very similar to tasks the children already complete during phonics lessons. Children will be asked to ‘sound out’ a word and blend the sounds together.eg d-o-g - dog The focus of the check is to see which sounds the children know and therefore the children will be asked to read made up ‘nonsense’ words. THIS IS NOT A READING TEST

1.reening checkreening check Structure of the phonics screening check The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into two sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words. Section 1 Page 1 Four pseudo-words Page 2 Four pseudo-words Page 3 Four pseudo-words Page 4 Four real words Page 5 Four real words Section 2 Page 6 Four pseudo-words Page The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into two sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words (nonsense words). The nonsense words will have a picture of an alien beside it so the children can tell the difference.

The words in section 1 will have a variety of simple word structures (for example CVC, VCC, CCVC and CVCC) using: single letters (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, I, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q(u), r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z) some consonant digraphs (ch, ck, ff, ll, ng, sh, ss, th, zz) frequent and consistent vowel digraphs (ar, ee, oi, oo,or).

1.reening checkreening check Structure of the phonics screening check The phonics screening check contains 40 words divided into two sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words. Section 1 Page 1 Four pseudo-words Page 2 Four pseudo-words Page 3 Four pseudo-words Page 4 Four real words Page 5 Four real words Section 2 Page 6 Four pseudo-words Page The words in section 2 will have a variety of more complex word structures (for example CCVCC, CCCVC, CCCVCC and two syllable words) with some: additional consonant digraphs (ph, wh) less frequent and consistent vowel digraphs, including split digraphs (a-e, ai, au, aw, ay, ea, e-e, er, ew, i-e, ie, ir, oa, o-e, ou, ow, oy, ue, u-e, ur) trigraphs (air, igh).

The children will complete the check one at a time in a quiet area of the school. Miss Mc Mackin will conduct all of the screening checks with the children. The screening will only take approximately 10 minutes with each child however there is no time limit.

The week beginning 13 th June 2016, every Year 1 child in the country will be taking the phonics screening check. If a child is ill, they have until 24 th June to complete the screening. You will be informed with a letter to let you know if your child has reached the threshold mark.

The government publish a threshold (pass) mark. Last year, the threshold mark was 32. It can change from year to year and this year the government will publish it on Monday 27 th June. A letter will be sent to inform you whether your child has reached the threshold mark or not.

If your child does not reach the expected threshold, they will re-do the phonics screening towards the end of Year 2.

Encourage your child to ‘sound out’ when reading or writing. Focusing particularly on spotting more unusual sound patterns. Eg Digraph- 2 letters that make one sound cow snow Trigraphs- 3 letters that make one sound fair night pure

Split digraphs- 2 vowels with a consonant in between. spine - i_e these - e_e cube – u_e snake -a_e bone - o_e

Polysyllabic words- fighter bluebell shampoo

Encourage your child to use their sound mat when writing and use their actions to find the sound they need. Children can practise their phonics by playing games. Website lists are available y.co.uk/BuriedTreasure 2.htmlhttp:// y.co.uk/BuriedTreasure 2.html

REMEMBER: Phonics is not the only thing needed to become a fluent reader. Please continue to read with your child each night and encourage them to: Sound out Re-read to check it makes sense. Use pictures for clues. Ask questions about the book. And most importantly ENJOY READING!